


Abandoned Requiem

by VoidGoth



Category: The Losers (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Pseudo D&D
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2019-06-22 07:18:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15576669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidGoth/pseuds/VoidGoth
Summary: A pair of soldiers, intended to die while on a side mission; an assassin who renegaded on a contract; a student of magic who wassupposedto just be dealing with an archaeological expedition, and the guy who piloted the airship for that expedition.All funded by some strange person over a pair of sending stones.What could possibly go wrong?





	1. Chapter 1

Cougar had watched Clay sit down in the tavern, signal one of the wenches over. They were early. He knew this. He also knew the people Clay was meeting were told he'd be alone. A common practice, really. And considering they had to be careful, it really wasn't that surprising. The only downside was that Cougar couldn't hear what was going on. Considering how long he'd known Clay at this point, that shouldn't prove to be an issue. There were signals that could be used. Even if Clay's were _weird_.  
Cougar readjusted in position just as a pair of people took seats at the table, loaded a bolt in his crossbow. Both looked human from this distance, didn't necessarily mean they were. Magic was a thing some people could do. Never really was his thing. He probably _could_ learn if he wanted to.  
He raised his crossbow.  
All he really had to do now was wait. Not like he hadn't been already. Blond plausibly favored range, with some experience in melee. The other one had his hair shorn too short to really make out the color, but definitely looked more like he favored melee. Cougar was fully aware Clay could handle himself in melee. So long as he wasn't an idiot. Really, so far it had seemed like it was a good thing Clay usually brought people with him. Then again, maybe if he would _stop getting himself into altercations with multiple people-_  
  
The cadence of approaching footsteps told him all he needed to know about who was making them. City guard. A lot of them. _Shit_. And here he was with barely even moonlight to locate a handful of pebbles. He should probably start carrying some around. That'd make things easier. Especially at night, when Clay seemed to really like making meetings. Honestly, the internal grumbling continued as he managed to locate a few bits of twig, maybe some pebbles, maybe stray roofing material. Not all of it would make it to the window, but hopefully it'd be enough. He'd really rather not have to fire a bolt into the wall. That'd look suspicious.  
A beat passed, Cougar once more raising his crossbow. A check to see how long before the company arrived. _Shit. Gods dammit Clay._ Finally he caught Clay standing, getting quickly out of sight from the window. _About time._ Clay soon emerged from the tavern, casually started off down the road. Cougar waited another beat, caught the two Clay had been meeting with also exit, then disarmed and stowed his crossbow as he darted off to continue tailing Clay.

  
\---

  
"You know, he was kinda weird." Jake tossed a roll to his other hand, readjusted his glasses. Not like they even helped _much_ , but they were better than nothing. He should _probably_ get someone else who was actually experienced in making glasses to make him a pair. But really, how was he supposed to get better at it if he didn't try?  
"I think most people are _kinda weird._ " Pooch raised a brow, reattached his sword to his belt. "Man, why are you even considering this?" A muffled sound from Jake, apparently due to him having just bit into the roll.  
"Well-" Mouth full, a hand raised to press the back of it against his mouth- and also interrupted by sounds of distress from the tavern behind them. "Whoa-!" Jake flicked his attention toward Pooch, lowered his hand. "Uh,"  
"We should probably go."  
"Guards?"  
"Yeah." Jake turned, following Pooch down an alley as the other began muttering under his breath. It was another few steps before Jake even realized he could no longer hear their footsteps echoing against the walls. _Damn_ he had to learn that trick. Or something similar. _That_ was useful.  
  
Time passed. They reemerged back onto a main road. A few more moments and their footsteps mingled with the general traffic. "That's still really fuckin' cool." A brow raised in response, as Pooch glanced over.  
"What?" Jake waved his hands, stammered out half-sentences. Pooch almost immediately regretted asking.  
"The- the _thing_ where we don't make sound and our tracks disappear and-"  
"Dude, you can make yourself _breathe fire._ "  
"And?" Pooch just shook his head, continued walking. "Look, magic's just fascinating."  
"Just like toying with complicated metal contraptions is _fascinating?_ "  
"Hey, _someone's_ gotta start exploring the possibilities of blending magic and engineering, might as well be me."  
"Why am I friends with you?"  
"Because you love me, obviously." A bark of laughter from Pooch, a grin from Jake.  
"Nah."  
"Where are we now, anyway?" Pooch stopped, watched as Jake continued on another few steps before stopping.  
"You really want to go sign on with this guy?" A shrug in response, Jake trotting back up.  
"If he already knows how to contact us, he probably already knows how to find our families." Jake readjusted his glasses, raised his brows. Like he had a _point_ , because of _course_ he did.  
  
\---  
  
Cougar crouched on the roof of- something. He wasn't sure whether it was a residence or some sort of small business. Not like it mattered at the moment, there wasn't anyone going in or out and he didn't need anything right now. The only reason he was even on top of it was that Clay had stopped. Cougar furrowed his brows, watched as the other struck a match, raised it to light what Cougar could presume was a cigarette. Annoying habit. _Smelly_ habit. At least knowing that it made the fire closing in on his face less concerning.  
_What are you doing?_  
Cougar was ready to drop down from his perch when footsteps began to approach, instead opting to duck back around the chimney, once more load a bolt. The sounds of conversation soon carried up, Cougar barely managing to pick out snippets. From what he could gather, there was no imminent danger. Didn't mean either of them weren't planning to suddenly attack. He couldn't really make out much detail from here either, which made it even more difficult to gauge.  
He watched as Clay tossed the remains of his cigarette toward a puddle, say something else before walking off. Another beat, and the two Clay had been talking with followed. _Huh. Guess we've got new blood._ Cougar again disarmed his crossbow, started after the small group.  
  
  
Turned out he didn't _have_ to continue following, as any issues the group would've run into were easily avoided or talked out of. Instead, that left Cougar with a small amount of time to get ahead of them. Not _difficult_ , really. The most difficult thing would be darting across a stretch of field with no cover.  
So his final decision was to dart ahead before Clay and his new recruits got to the start of the field. Near silently make his way down the stairs, get the door to the windmill's basement open quickly, slip in. Also somehow manage to make it across the- admittedly small- space and look like he either hadn't left or had gotten back much earlier. "You have _got_ to stop doing that." He paused, raised his brows, turned his attention to Roque. _Oh yeah._ He was here. If Roque hadn't been closer to Clay than he was, Cougar probably would've taken him out by now on account of his attitude.  
"Hm?" Because really, how was he supposed to know what he was supposed to stop doing if it wasn't specified? Though really, he could make a guess as to what was being referred to. He heard the exasperated noise as he continued across the room, the sound of hands dropping to one of the make shift desks they had.  
"There's these things called _knocking_ , and _announcing your presence_ so you don't get a damn dagger thrown at you." Cougar perched himself on a barrel, set his crossbow down on top of another stack of crates. He gave a hum, tilted his head up before picking up one of the bolts he'd been working on. There was a sigh, Roque going back to whatever he was working on. Probably staring at a map. He did a lot of that lately. Honestly Cougar couldn't remember any time when they weren't traveling that Roque wasn't staring at a map. So maybe it _wasn't_ a new thing? Hell if he knew.  
  
Footsteps soon sounded on the stairs. Cougar tilted the bolt in his hand closer to the light as a knock sounded at the door. He flicked his attention up, raised a brow as he turned it toward Roque. "No, don't give me that look. I'm sure you already know who it is, you creepy little fuck." Cougar let out a faint sound, _amused_. It really wasn't that hard to pick out Clay's gait. He set the bolt aside, went about gathering materials to start a new one as the door opened. "You actually managed to convince more people to join this little crusade of yours."  
"It's not that hard if you know where to look." Closer, and with more light than the night could offer, the new pair didn't give the sense that they'd report to the guards if they left. There was a low whistle, quickly pinpointed to the blond. _Nerd_. Why this guy? Actually- yeah, probably _because_ he was a nerd. "We need to pack up. Think someone might've tipped off the guard."  
"Who the hell would've told the guard?" Cougar was already moving to collect things. Wasn't him. And he had nothing to input otherwise.  
"Probably someone who overheard."  
"Pooch is good with driving, if you guys have a cart."  
"Really." Cougar heard the clap of hands against legs, vaulted across a desk.  
"Cougar," he paused, hand on the door frame to duck back in to look at Clay, "don't show off." He furrowed his brow, made a face. _I wasn't showing off you fucking- whatever._ Cougar huffed, went back to ascending the stairs. "Good to know."


	2. Through the Forest

"So why d'you call 'im Cougar?" Jake had a quill somehow perched behind his ear. Quite an impressive feat. Cougar wasn't sure he'd seen anyone manage that. Another thing he was distracted by was the floating bottle of ink, held mostly in place by a bit of string.  
"We don't know what else to call him. Never told us his name."  
"Maybe it's lame. Like yours." Laughter, the sound of Roque leaning forward to clap a hand against Clay's knee.  
"That's good. That's a good one." Further movement from Roque, drawing Cougar's attention to where he now, briefly, pointed at Jake.  
"Very funny."  
"Jake, be nice." From the front of the cart, where Pooch was steering. _Why_ pooch? _Why not ask that, huh?_ Then again, judging by what he'd seen of these two so far, Jake was probably the one to assign the nickname.  
"I _am_ being nice."  
"Uh-huh. And I'm going to need an actual destination soon other than _north_." Jake shifted, reached to adjust the string dragging the inkwell along. The movement offered a brief look at what was most likely some sort of weapon attached to his belt. Cougar _still_ couldn't figure out what it was. Handle wasn't shaped like any dagger he'd seen- and he'd seen a _lot_ of daggers.  
"Ashshore." Clay slumped down slightly in the seat, pulled out a bag of dried fruit. "We need passage on a ship." There was a moment the bag was held by his knee, his attention returned to Pooch after plucking a few pieces from it. "I should be able to handle that." Cougar leaned forward, nicked a couple pieces of fruit from the bag.  
"Right." Clay brought his attention back to the interior of the cart, offered the snack. Eyes were narrowed in Cougar's direction, to which he offered a half-smirk.  
"Where we goin' after that?" _Habit of talking with his mouth full._ Annoying, but tolerable. Cougar had occasionally done it himself when he was younger. Paired with everything else about Jake, however, made it likely he had attended some magic academy.  
"Capital of Tracia." A snort from Roque. "What? You want to try saying it?"  
"No. Whoever named it must've been drunk."  
  
\---  
  
Jake made a face after pulling yet _another_ empty ink jar from his bag. He really had to stop putting those back in the bag. Or put them in a different bag. Also learning how to make his own ink might be helpful. For now though, he shut his spellbook, shoved it back in his bag. Honestly, enchanting it to hold way more than it actually should was the _best_ decision he had ever made. He put his arms behind his head, leaned back against the wheel of the cart.  
Off the road, a small campfire set up. Roque almost menacingly sharpening a dagger. _Maybe_ this hadn't been a good idea. "So what are you guys doing all the way down here?" He moved an arm, readjusted his glasses. Watched as Roque and Clay glanced at each other. It was Clay who spoke before Jake could say something else.  
"A job. Turned out to not quite be what we thought it was." He raised a brow. "It really that obvious we're not not locals?"  
" _Well_. The accents and mannerisms are clearly from around Lermont, if not actually from the city." He paired it with a shrug, an attempt to seem casual. It would likely make things worse if he came across as _creepy_ instead of just a nerd. "Mean, never _actually_ been there, but occasionally people would pass through." His attention flicked to Roque as the other stood, wandered away from the camp.  
"What about Cougar?" Jake couldn't tell if Clay was amused, concerned, or actually curious. Damn his bad eyesight paired with only a small fire for light.  
"Uh, well I mean." He readjusted, turned his gaze to scan over what Cougar was wearing, found him actually paying attention to the conversation. "Unfortunately thieves' guilds aren't really something I research in my spare time." They were. He _might_ have also considered trying to join one. Not that he'd admit it. "So even with most of a guild uniform on, can't really tell you." Another shrug, _apologetic_ this time.  
"Maybe you could find something in a library." He looked back over as Clay now stood, stretched, went about settling to sleep. "I'd like to get moving again soon as possible, so start wrapping up. Roque, first watch. Cougar, second. Third's up for grabs unless you want me to."  
"I can." Pooch, also rising to get settled. Jake adjusted his bag, pulled out a bedroll to toss at Pooch. Then another for himself.  
  
\---  
  
The only problem with opting to try not to use the main road to the next town was maneuvering through the forest without getting the cart stuck. Not particularly Linwood's _specialty_. Never a better time to learn, apparently. It also didn't help that the ground was often uneven. "So we're going to meet whoever's on the other end of those sending stones?" Jake raised a brow, finished cleaning his glasses.  
"That's the plan."  
"A pretty dumb one." Roque, bracing himself against the side of the cart as they hit yet another bump.  
"You got any better ideas?" Linwood noticed the shift of weight in the cart behind him, let out a sigh.  
"You all better stay seated back there, I am _not_ being held responsible for y'all gettin' your asses run over." It was then that the snapping of branches caught his attention, closely followed by heavy footfalls. He returned his attention to the horse, hopped down to actually get its attention. "Hey, hey. We got this, don't worry." _Hopefully_.  
" _Shit_." Linwood looked back toward the others, then toward where everyone was looking. Large, hulking humanoid figures. _Ugly assholes_. Linwood pulled his bow off his back. "Trolls- uh. Anyone else have fire?" He glanced back at the cart, made a face as he nocked an arrow.  
"You know I don't." Another sigh as one arrow flew wide, Linwood squinting as he muttered something under his breath.  
"Right." A mostly familiar incantation from Jake, and a trio of glowing rays pelted the thing, leaving bits of flame licking at whatever was there to lick at. Another two, he caught, accosted another troll. _Shit_.

  
  
William tossed a long sword to Clay before hopping over the side of the cart, pulling a dagger from its sheath. A pause, a raised brow directed at Clay- _we really doing this?_ Once a nod was given, he let out a sigh, shook his head before darting over to engage. Ducking under one arm, a swipe at the abdomen. Caught by an elbow. An adjustment of grip on his dagger, another stab taken. A sudden _disgusting_ wash of warm air as the thing clamped onto his shoulder. "Aw, _gross_."  
"Having fun?" He could hear the amusement in Clay's voice. Closer than expected.  
"Man, shut up." Even as the other made a pair of swipes at the thing.

  
  
_Don't you dare hurt our horse._ Linwood turned his attention to the approaching troll, stumbled aside as a set of claws connected. The horse reared, avoided another swing- only to start bolting off. _Gods dammit._ A roar from the thing, Linwood looking back up- to find a bolt sticking out of its neck. And another sinking into the shoulder. In the distraction, he focused back on the creature. A slight shift back, two arrows in quick succession added to the bolts sticking out of it.

  
  
Jake groaned, made a face as he sat back up. _Fuckin' horse._ He sighed, stood, brushed himself off. Adjusted his glasses. _Right_. He raised his hands, once more traced out an altered sigil, muttered out the adjusted incantation. This time, additional energy put into it. Once more, five darts of now fiery energy slammed into the creatures. Maybe he'd try and enchant some of these guys' weapons to do fire damage. _Maybe_.

  
  
William ducked out of the way of another swing, glanced over at further movement. Clay, taking another couple swipes. _Finally_ the thing fell, another thud from where the other one had been. "All right, are we going to _actually_ use the road now?" As William began wiping down his dagger, made a face at Clay as he sheathed his sword without wiping it. _Really?_  
"That _is_ compelling reason to." He watched as Clay kicked at the body before moving back toward where Jensen had opted to continue standing. "They actually common around here?" William rolled his eyes, walked up, made a headcount. He narrowed his eyes when one turned up missing, scanned the area.  
"Yeeeeah. Yeah. They- they uh. _Sort of_ used to be the predominant thing here, along with other giants. Think there's actually still some giant encampments further into the mountains." Half listening, William stepped a bit away, managed to locate Pooch. Soothing the horse.  
"Right. Should be far enough from Ascana to join the road."  
"Oh good. 'Cause the horse isn't likin' the forest."  
  
\---  
  
Even from a distance, the town was bustling. Not very large, by the looks of it. Cougar shifted in his seat, glanced around. About what he'd expect from a small port town. Even if he had hardly been  _in_ any. There was the smell of fish in the air, the calling of sea birds. "All right." Cougar turned his attention back to the cart when Clay spoke, raised a brow. "Get whatever resupplying you guys need done. We'll meet near the docks at dusk." _Not very long_. Couple hours, at most from his best guess. Still, he nodded, hopped over the side of the cart.  
"Does he do that often?" Whatever response was made, Cougar was too far to make it out over the general din of the crowd.  
  
Rations. Bolts. Possibly more poisons.  
The last two were the least likely thing he'd find. Still wouldn't stop him from asking around.  
  
\---  
  
"Still think these guys are weird?" Jake picked up a pear, sniffed at it. Set it back down.  
"Uh, _yeah_. Also can you stop just sniffing the fruit?" Jake made a face, cleaned his glasses.  
"It's a legitimate way of determining how good it is." Still, he followed Pooch along the road. "They're not _terrible_ though." They entered a general store, wandered toward a rack.  
"Still doesn't mean they're not weird. _You're_ weird."  
"Everyone's a bit weird. _You_ talk to animals." Jake picked up a spool of wire, gave a hum.  
"All right, all right." That familiar tone that Pooch was done arguing.  
"Think you can make a fishing rod?"  
"Jake, there's literally fishing rods for sale here."  
"... Good point."  
"Probably though." Jake snorted, set the wire back down. The movement of another patron caught his attention, quickly identified as Cougar. _Oh hey_.  
  
"How many rations do you happen to carry?" _So he did speak!_ Even if it startled Jake to the point where he paused in his approach. A quick run through of where the accent could possibly be from. Purely for curiosity reasons. Obviously. And Clay also wanted to know. _Lillinton?_  
"Due for another batch in, but should have enough for whatever you need." _Wait, he doesn't look Elven though_. Jake furrowed his brow. _Shit_.  
"Ten days, maybe?" A huff, Jake deciding to turn his attention to actually look for what he was in here for. Or something to be in here for. He really just followed Pooch in.  
"Hey," he turned his attention to where the sound came from. "Looks like there's writing stuff over there." Jake followed where Pooch was pointing.  
"Oh thank god." Under his breath, weaving through the racks to where it was pointed out. Not _quite_ what he needed, like he had really expected a small town to carry high quality stuff, but just for disposable material it'd do. Few extra pieces of parchment wouldn't hurt either. Supplies in hand, he made his way back to where Pooch was at the counter, reached into his bag for coin.  
"Ah, the other man already paid. Don't worry." Jake furrowed his brow, looked toward Pooch- received a shrug. _Oh_.  
"All righty then. Thank you." He shoved the supplies into his bag, held the door for Pooch.  
"I didn't ask him, if that's what you're thinking."  
"Good to know, but not what I was thinking. See where he went?"  
"Nope."  
"Awesome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jake was making use of a couple of the Lore Mastery subclass features; _Spell Secrets_ , which allowed him to have his Magic Missile do fire damage instead of the usual force. And _Alchemical Casting_ , which offered more damage in exchange for an extra spell slot expended
> 
> Pooch did, in fact, cast Hunter's Mark. And then Speak With Animals


	3. Chapter 3

    "All right, good news is we've got transportation." Clay, after they had located a tavern. "They're leaving at dawn."  
    "And what's the bad news?" Roque, a brow raised. A moment while Clay finished what food he had put in his mouth.  
    "I get the impression local guards already know to keep an eye out for us."  
    "Magic, probably." Jake, wiping the back of his hand against his mouth. A nod in response- made sense.  
    "Yeah. So. Best keep low-"  
    "Pooch can help with that." Jake, interjecting with a thumb hooked toward him. _Good to know._  
    "Maybe not actually stay in this tavern."  
    "Come _on_ , we already paid for rooms!"  
    "That doesn't mean staff won't tell the guards we're here."  
    "More likely they will put up posters here in the bar." Cougar, immediately before bringing his mug up for a drink. Also catching the squint Jake sent him. Cougar raised a brow, an attempt to feign innocence.  
    "... Right."  
  
\---  
  
    Getting up early was never Jake's favorite thing. True, he was used to it for classes, but that didn't mean he _liked_ it. Another thing that he disliked was trying to quickly figure out another way out of a tavern aside from the window. Not that anyone else had any better ideas. "Right so uh. I've got spells that can help here, so we don't have to leave the rope tied in here." _That_ would be pretty suspicious.  
    "Have to use them on yourself?" Clay, making sure the rope was secure. Even though of _course_ it was secure since Pooch had been the one to tie it.  
    "No. Might make things simpler, but don't have to."  
    "Simple's probably the best idea." Clay stood, brushed his hand against his pants. "Roque, Pooch. You two go down, secure the alley." Jake watched the brief moment of regard the two took, focused on Pooch as his attention fell to himself.  
    "Knot isn't that difficult to undo." Another moment while Pooch pointed out how to untie it.  
    "Right." Jake nodded, adjusted his glasses.  
  
    "We have to _go_." Insistent, from Cougar. Jake was convinced that this still wasn't his actual accent. _What the fuck_. The sound of heavy footsteps from the hall brought his attention back to the door, a slow breath released as he withdrew his wand- long since snapped in half from some accident he couldn't even remember any more, but still useful. He really needed to get a new casting focus. Jake glanced back, found Cougar halfway out of the window with a hand on his crossbow.  
    "What are you-" The sudden sound of the door being kicked in, a bolt firing from a crossbow. _Shit_. Jake stood, aimed at the rope and released a small gout of fire to sever it. Probably a bad idea, but faster than untying it. Scramble over to the window, look back at the handful of guards now in the doorway. _Shit shit shit_. Barely kept at bay by quickly fired bolts.   
  
    Jake muttered something, managed to avoid an opposing bolt by suddenly floating upwards. "Will someone handle the mage?"  
    "I'd rather you didn't." Jake, a shrug offered as he stuck his wand back in his bag, floated down enough to maneuver out the window. "Come on, this is better than falling." He held an arm toward Cougar, still mostly inside. Another bolt fired, then the weight of another person against him. Jake adjusted his grip, started descending into the alley. "Might want to start moving." Called down, seconds before he actually touched ground.  
    "Oh really?" Pooch, as he finished wrapping the rope up before handing it back.  
    "No time." Clay, already moving. Jake heard the muttering of a familiar incantation, caught Pooch sprinkling what looked like ash before the sound of their footsteps faded to nothing.  
  
    It was a winding path taken to the docks, barely making the deadline to leave.  
  
\---  
  
    "You know, I've always wanted to go on an actual ship." Jake, leaned against the railing on deck, attention turned to Pooch.  
    "What, an airship's not cool enough?"  
    "Nah, that's pretty damn cool. I just was never close enough to a body of water to actually go out on a boat." He made a face, pulled his glasses off to try and yet again clean off the misting of water across the surface. "Starting to think the constant ocean spray might be a downside. Fucking glasses." The last part was muttered under his breath as he raised the lenses toward the sun. To his right, Pooch laughed. "What?"  
    "You keep cursing the damn things even though you need them. It's funny."  
    "Look, it's not like I have many other choices. Other than like. Shapeshifting." Mental note to acquire a scroll for Polymorph. "And that's not even permanent." He was pretty sure he had actually heard of it being made permanent. Another mental note to look into that.  
    "Yeah well," Pooch straightened from where he had been leaning against the railing as well, "you're a clever dude. If anyone could figure it out, it'd be you."  
    "I wouldn't be too sure about that." Jake watched as Pooch headed for the stairs, made another face as ocean spray spattered against his glasses again. He opted to follow Pooch below deck. "That's not my specialty- glasses and shit. That'd be something for the clerics or whatever."  
  
  
    "... Yeah, we might've had to grab a ship sooner than expected." Clay, as Jake and Pooch returned to where they had been allowed space to stay. Little more than a storage room, really. But better than nothing, and most of them had bedrolls anyway. He couldn't hear the response, made a mental note to try and make a version of the stones that was capable of broadcasting. How hard could it be? Jake settled, put his back against a pile of crates, pulled paper and a quill from his bag. An adjustment of his glasses, and a scroll procured, the process of decoding another wizard's notes began. "Look, we can either wait around in the city, head toward another town, or come to you." Something dropped to the floor nearby, drawing Jake's attention. A cork. _What?_  
    "Sorry." From somewhere above, Jake looking up to find Cougar, currently leaning down with a hand braced against a lower level of crates.  
    "Not a problem. Hey do you make potions or something? 'Cause-"  
    "Poisons." Gloved fingers plucked the cork from his own, placed it between Cougar's teeth before the other went about sitting back up on top of the cargo.  
    "Oh. I guess that's also useful."  
    "Very." _Right_. Still not sure that was a natural accent. _Damn it._ A few more moments were taken, scrutinizing, before Jake went back to what he'd been doing. They _did_ have a long way ahead of them. So long as they didn't tire of him and throw him overboard. That would suck.  
  
  
  
    With as many times as he had used teleportation to get around for contracts, Cougar was fairly sure going by boat was the _worst_ way to get around. At least with teleportation the sensation of nausea was quick to subside, and there wasn't the smell of what he was fairly certain was mold and tar. And it was mingling with the scent of the poisons he was working on and _gods_ that was a terrible idea. Sticking those away, he adjusted, tried to find a position where he wasn't going to feel the listing of the floor as much as he had been.  
    By _Nocturnal_ , he hated boats.


	4. Chapter 4

    All things considered, the trip was rather boring. Past helping out in places when they could- Pooch mostly offering to take a shift at the helm or otherwise on deck, Clay and Roque moving boxes around when needed or tying ropes back into place, Jake mostly aiding with magic when he could- generally to fend off minor threats that the ships weapons couldn't get, and Cougar-  
    Cougar actually stayed below deck. With how often Jake moved around the ship, he wasn't sure the guy was doing anything or not. Upon inquiry, he said he was helping the cook. And that he didn't like boats. "Then how did you end up-"  
    "Teleportation." As he raised another bolt to eye level, put it back in his case.  
    "Wait, you can use magic?" Which, as Jake did another scan of Cougar, he once again came to the conclusion that would make no sense since he wasn't carrying anything to facilitate magic use.  
    "Items, yes." _That_ made more sense.  
    "Oh." Jake went back to scribbling in his book, furrowed his brows after a moment, looked back up. "Shouldn't you have something to get back then? Like that-"  
    "Broke it." He watched as Cougar reclined back, shifted to move his stuff around, settled back.  
    "Right. Hey maybe we could fix it if you still have it." Could take a while and he didn't think he could re-enchant it himself, but-  
    "I don't." Jake moved the tip of his quill away from his paper, made a face.  
    "Won't whoever gave it to you be upset? Magic items are expensive-"  
    "They'll understand." _What_. He turned his attention to the others, raised a brow- only got shrugs in response. _Helpful_. With how careful these guys seemed to be, it was weird they hadn't bothered pressing for more information. Though Jake wasn't sure he wanted to risk prying either. Cougar had _poisons_ on him, for gods' sake. So for now, Cougar would mostly remain a mystery. A mystery clad in false accents and _damn_ if he didn't like a good mystery.  
  
\---  
  
    Reaching the docks of Curredgaild came with little fanfare- though it did come with Jake explaining the presence of Dragonborn pacing the walls of the city. Something about some sort of agreement with their ruling body. Cougar had never been interested in the specifics, and was more interested in finally getting off the damn boat than listening to a small history lesson. It had also become apparent to him that Jake tended to talk when nervous- or just to deflect questions he didn't really want to answer. Interesting defense mechanism.  
    "All right. We need to find an inn. Either of you happen to know of any?" Cougar tuned back in once off the docks, watched Clay raise a brow and flick his attention toward himself. "Or you, since we don't know where you're from."  
    "I'm actually from Isolon, up north so I don't." Pooch, a slight raise of his hand before he rubbed at the back of his neck with it. Jake shrugged, glanced off for a moment.  
    "Yeah," drawn out, a sharp breath drawn in. "I haven't been here either and never spent much time in the market place back home. Can always ask around though." With that, Jake had turned his attention to look for someone to approach. The _obvious_ solution.  
  
    Cougar had never really needed to spend an extended period of time within this capital. That didn't mean he hadn't passed and heard of various taverns and inns about- hell, they were some of the best places to ask for information. But it wasn't long before Jake had returned with some prospects and he didn't need to try and remember which would be the best choice for their purposes. "Okay so, we've got the Seaside Manor here near the docks," as he motioned in a direction vaguely diagonal from their current position. "And there's also the Ivory Tree closer to the center, and apparently a really nice one closer to where like the nobles live but I don't think we want to be staying somewhere ostentatious. Though that _would_ probably be the last place someone would look for people who are on the run, come to think of it." Jake shifted his weight, stroked at his chin. He did have a point.  
    "There's also what we can afford to consider." Clay, starting to move off toward a less populated area.  
    "... Right." Jake, as he let out a breath. "I've only got copper and still have to get supplies to actually add some of these scrolls to my spellbook. Shit."  
    "It would be nice to actually stay in a decent place for a bit." Roque, almost wistfully as he stroked at his chin. Cougar let out a breath, shifted his weight. He'd probably have to offer more of his own gold.  
    "Yeah well, decent doesn't have to mean in the wealthiest part of town." Clay, pulling out a cigarette while he flicked his attention away.  
    "Jake did have a good point that it would be the least likely place for someone to look for fugitives." Pooch piped up with a shrug, got an excited motion from Jake.  
    "We're going to need at least a week-"  
    "Give me a couple hours." Cougar, finally. Not that he really _needed_ it, but they didn't have to know that. Clay clapped a hand against his leg, the others raised brows.  
    "Do you have contacts here or something?" He _could_ get in touch with the local Guild, true. Probably should in order to get a message home, actually.  
    "Both." A beat of silence. He opted to make a guess as to how much he'd be left with after this.  
    "... Are you going to elaborate on that?"  
    "No." Enough for a long while, most likely. And keeping an emergency fund would be a good idea anyway. They wouldn't need to know the specifics of how much he had nor how he was getting it. Had to make up for losing a contracts payment _somehow._  
  
    Cougar slipped away before hearing much of the conversation about whether or not they'd have to look like they belonged there in order to get lodgings. Most likely, in his experience. Maybe he could convince the local guild to part with some forged documents to maybe get them a discount on lodgings, or at the very least make it easier to get them.  
    He just had to find the Guild first. Not the hardest thing in the world when you knew where to look and who to ask.  
  
\---  
  
    Jake considered it an accomplishment when everyone finally agreed that they should go get some fancier clothes. Or at least try to, _'considering most tailors custom make clothing.'_ And even better was Roque offering to actually handle most of the cost. This also caused him to consider yet another spell he needed in his book. _Why were there so many useful spells in the world?_ A bit of asking around was needed before they actually found a place, and luckily there was some clothes that only needed some minor alterations in stock. "We better get some good use out of these." Pooch, as he adjusted his jacket. "Especially since they're so comfortable." Jake scrunched his nose.  
    "Kind of reminds me of the uniform back at the Precipire." Itchy old robes, who knew how long they had been there and how often they had even been cleaned and oh  _gods_ now he was concerned and  _why_ did he even consider that-  
    "Now all we need is to figure out where Cougar is." Clay, looking around the square they had stopped in.  
    "Is he usually late?" Both Roque and Clay shrugged.  
    "Haven't really asked him to meet us somewhere before." Roque, crossing his arms.  
    "I wouldn't imagine so."  
  
    Another few minutes passed, the group just watching the crowd go about their business- Jake wondering how he had never made it here sooner- before Cougar showed up, in a different set of armor. More mercenary, less assassin. A small bag of coin was handed to Clay, and a sheaf of papers procured from another pouch. "Do we want to know where this came from?" A shrug as the bag was weighed. "Right. And what's with the papers?" Clay hooked a thumb toward where Roque and Pooch were skimming through the pages.  
    "To make it easier to acquire lodgings."  
    "Oh whoa really?" Jake moved over, took a piece of paper from Pooch, adjusted his glasses. He found himself looking at the identification of a merchant, glanced over at what Pooch was now looking at- some sort of nobility from Tario. _Oh._  
    "Are you sure these aren't going to get questioned?" Clay, indicating the papers. Cougar almost looked offended. _Almost._  
 _"So long as you only pick one or two."_  
    "Are any of these a mage? 'Cause I can _definitely_ fit that."


	5. Chapter 5

"If I could get this swapped out for gold, that would be wonderful." Aisha smiled, slid over a small pile of platinum. Barely enough to dent her stores. A strange look from the attendant she was speaking with.  
"Of course. Would it be too personal to ask how you acquired this?" The coins were counted, moved aside for the moment.  
"Inheritance." It wasn't wrong. The issue was more the means by which it had come to her early.  
"Ah. Sorry for your loss. One moment." The clerk stepped away with the platinum.  
"Take your time." She would actually prefer it quickly, as she wanted to be on her way as soon as possible. It was a long way to Curredgaild from Isolon. Still never hurt to be polite. She probably should have handed over a bit more to account for acquiring a horse- actually, that wouldn't really put a dent in the funds she was already converting. She should probably be more concerned about the supplies in order to get there.

It was in the middle of her calculations that the clerk returned with a pouch. "Here you go." She returned her attention to the moment, offered a smile as she reached to take the pouch.  
"Thank you so much." A moment taken to fix the bag to her belt.  
"Anything else I can do for you today?"  
"No, that's all."  
"Well, enjoy the rest of your day then."  
"You too." Aisha turned, stepped out into the heat of the day. Really, she should move elsewhere. The same scenery was getting dull, even with the constantly busy streets. Her own interests also should have taken her outside the country already by now. Alas, she had mostly been dealing with the wrong ends of particular businesses and following false threads.  
And now this asshole had come up.

She wasn't going to deny this was mostly a revenge mission. It was also that this Max- if that was even a _real_ name and not some alias- was apparently behind some of the largest resource thefts she could find. She just couldn't figure out _why_. None of the people she had asked had known- smart, all things considered really. Don't tell the hired hands what your big plan is. Immensely frustrating, but smart.  
The where had largely been a trail of drop off points- primarily ports, some trade offs to another group who would also likely make it to a drop off point. Based on the amount of resources moved at once, she doubted there would be enough time to check every port city for strange influxes of shipments. However, the closest one to Isolon was Curredgaild. It was a start, if nothing else.

Also conveniently where she had told her own hired help to meet her. Apparently sooner than she was really preparing for, but that was a minor annoyance that could be ignored. For now, her focus was to just get there and ask around the docks. Forgo passing through another small trade town, for the sake of time. There were other towns more along the way she could resupply in.

\---

"Okay, this was a _great_ decision." Jake, sprawling out on a canopy bed. Sure, the rooms were a little garish, with the colors and ornate decoration, but they were ridiculously comfortable. He could get used to this.  
"Yeah, it only cost us all what, most of our savings?" Pooch, tossing his gloves down onto the desk.  
"Psssh, Cougar covered most of it. Also hey, we got disguises."  
"Because we're definitely going to be waltzing around in noble courts for the rest of this job." Jake could hear the sarcasm, let out a snort.  
"Probably not, but we could look like rich merchants."  
"Yeah, yeah." A knock at the door got Jake to sit up, Pooch already moving to open it, allowing the rest of the group in.

"Oh, all the rooms are like this. Good to know." Roque, almost closing the door on Cougar.  
"It's a high-end inn, of course they are." Clay, making his way to the middle of the room. Or as close to it as possible.  
"Like you actually know." Roque, as he settled himself in the chair by a desk.  
"I know rich people." Even Cougar snorted at that, leaning himself against the wall by the door. "Still waiting on word from our apparent benefactor. Lay low, don't make a scene. Be ready to move in case we need to." That was a good enough reason to avoid trouble. They spent long enough- and enough coin- to get into the damn place.  
"Got it." Jake stood, stretched. "Still kind of want to see the city while I'm here."  
"Just don't get in too much trouble."  
"I never get in trouble."

\---

The city wasn't really fancy to look at. Sure, the roads were stone instead of the dirt Jake had been used to, but really it wasn't much grander than any other city. Maybe the nightlife would be more interesting. "As much as I've wanted to come here, I'm actually disappointed." As he adjusted his glasses, turned to Pooch.   
"You really thought there would be anything different here?"  
"It's a _major city_ , they're usually more interesting."  
"Aren't these the better places to find your magic stuff?"  
"Yeah, but uh. I don't have enough gold to get it." Pooch snorted, shook his head as he slid around to look at a stall. Looked like it was riding stuff.  
"You _never_ have gold. Why don't you ask Cougar?" Jake joined him, picked something up, squinted at it before putting it back.  
"You see, he already got most of the gold for the rooms- which I'm pretty sure he _stole_ , by the way-" as he turned to walk backward, pointing at Pooch for a few steps before turning back around, "and I'd rather figure out _who_ he actually is before I start asking him about maybe covering my inks and paper."  
"Really?"  
"Do you _really_ want someone who would just as easily steal from you to be getting you stuff?"  
"He hasn't so far."  
"We were on a _boat_ , and he was seasick." Jake gave an exasperated noise, raked his hands through his hair.  
"Whatever." A stretch of silence, the pair wandering closer to the docks before back toward the center. "Hey, why don't we find a rowdy bar?"  
"At this hour?"  
"Why not?"

\---

"Okay. Right, right. So far it doesn't seem like the guard is looking for us." Franklin, pacing the room while Roque cleaned his daggers.  
"Good. Try to keep it that way."  
"We're not trying to move unless we absolutely have to, believe me. We're in the Ivory Tree."  
"How did you manage that?" He couldn't tell if she was impressed or suspicious.  
"One of the guys we picked up is resourceful."  
"Right. I should be there in a couple days."  
"Okay." He stood there a moment, listening until it was apparent she wasn't going to say anything else. He let out a breath, made his way back to the bed.

"So?" Roque, his hands spread, expectant.  
"She'll be here in a couple days."


End file.
